Christmas Preparations

After feeling blindsided by Thanksgiving, we were determined to get into the Christmas spirit before it was too late. After returning from our trip out of town, we got to work setting up the Christmas tree.

As in years past, Reese was a big help. And, actually, this year she WAS. If I had been satisfied with the idea of only having ornaments on the bottom third of the tree, Reese would have gladly hung them all for me. As it was, we worked together during Paige's nap without a single ornament casualty. Every day since Reese has spent time rearranging the ornaments on the bottom of the tree to better "keep Paige safe."


I also decided to purchase an advent calendar this year. I really wanted a reusable one that could become part of our family's Christmas tradition. My main motivation was the idea that an advent calendar could help us count down the days until Christmas and keep Reese from asking me EVERY day when Christmas was coming. I didn't think I had set myself up for such a daunting task. Surely advent calendars are easy to find, right? Well, not when you wait until November 29th to start looking for them. I refused, on principle, to buy one that was made of felt and cost over $40, so I began to momentarily fantasize about making one of my own. Ten seconds later I was searching amazon. You can find anything on amazon, right? Not this time. So, I headed to Target and found two options. Neither were exactly what I pictured, but they fit my budget and with one day until the countdown began, I caved. Here's the one I bought:


How long did it take you to find the egregious error in our advent calendar? If your answer is less than three hours, congratulations, I wish you had been at the store with me and steered me clear. But, after dragging two children out on a mission that involved buying a dressed up candy hopper with promises of chocolate in their future, I wasn't about to return it. We'll use it as a learning experience, and it will just add to the yearly counting whimsy.

The calendar is in place on our mantel and every morning after breakfast we visit it to reveal the day's special treat (and then have a super-duper tooth brushing party afterward). Paige quickly learned that the calendar is a receptacle for delicious, messy treats and she approaches the fire place at least three or four times a day pointing and grunting in an effort to get more candy. Somehow 14 days of repeatedly showing her the empty door has done nothing to dissuade her.